Upcoming ProSilva Ireland field day at Glengarrif, West Cork on Saturday 17 May 2014

The field day will focus on the theme of forest management and biodiversity enhancement and field day stops will be at various locations in the Glengariff Woods Nature Reserve (http://www.glengarriffnaturereserve.ie/) and the neighbouring Derrynafulla forest, also owned by the National Parks and Wildlife Service.

Glengarriff Woods Nature Reserve covers some 300ha, with the dominant habitats being old oak woodland and young woodland which is regenerating in areas which have been cleared of non-native conifers over the last few years. There has also been an extensive long term and on-going of clearance of Rhododendron in the Oak woodlands.  The woods form one of the best examples of oceanic sessile oak woodland in Ireland, being rated at least as important as the Killarney oakwoods. Derrynafulla forest was established as a commercial plantation with Sitka spruce and lodgepole pine but difficult access and varied productivity create serious challenges for future management.  Both woodlands host a rich fauna, including species of special significance such as the freshwater pearl mussel, the Kerry slug, seven bat species, otters, pine marten, red squirrel, arboreal ants, longhorn beetles and many more.

Apart from the special flora associated with native oak woodlands, Glengarriff also hosts Hiberno-lusitanianspecies which have an unusual distribution in that they occur almost exclusively in south-west Ireland and in northern parts of Spain and Portugal.  These include two species of saxifrage, Irish Spurge, Large-flower Butterwort and the Strawberry Tree.  There are also challenges with invasive species such as rhododendron, sika deer, mink and others.